Call us biased, but we think Brampton is one of the best places in North America for Start-ups in 2022. Canada’s 9th largest city is a diverse community with 234 cultures speaking 115 languages. Population-wise, we are also one of Canada’s youngest cities.
But what makes Brampton great for young businesses and start-ups?
Brampton is a city on the rise.
Located northwest of Toronto, the city boasts more than 75,000 businesses, including manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade. In 2007 it became one of 10 cities in North America to be designated an International Safe Community by the WHO.
With more than 850 parks, nine miles of riverfront trails and nine hundred acres of parkland, Brampton provides access to a wealth of recreational opportunities for residents of all ages.
Maclean’s magazine recognized Brampton as one of Canada’s Best Communities in 2021 and Forbes recognized it as one of Canada’s Best Employers for the fourth year in a row; S&P Global affirmed its Triple ‘A’ rating for 2021 with a stable outlook.
History of Brampton
The Brampton area has been a popular location for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence confirms that Indigenous people lived in hunting camps and small settlements along with the Credit and Humber River valleys as early as 8000 B.C. By the early 1780s, European settlers had started to come to Ontario. Where Brampton is currently located remained part of a 648,000 acres territory belonging to the Mississaugas of the Credit, which was sold to the Crown in 1818 under the Ajetance Treaty.
In 1819, Chinguacousy Township was surveyed by a British soldier by the name of Richard Bristol. Around 1820, other English settlers started coming since the region was still underdeveloped and thought to be habitable. Just south of Chinguacousy Township, Brampton was established in the 1830s and was originally called Buffy’s Corners. As more inhabitants moved to the region, Buffy’s Corners was renamed Brampton and incorporated as a village in 1853.
In 1867, voters decided that Brampton would be the home of Peel County’s administration. This choice, along with the Grand Trunk Railway’s arrival in 1858, sparked economic growth.
Brampton became a town by incorporation in 1873. The majority of post-war industrial and residential projects were constructed within the town’s ever-expanding boundaries and kept growing. As the economy grew, hiring in Brampton rose and more individuals saw it as an opportunity to find employment and settle. As a result of its continued economic growth, Brampton became a city in 1974 with Peel County’s administration. (Read More)
Brampton Today
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants have made Brampton a diverse and multicultural city. It is a city that was once a modest village with a small population and has since expanded to become one of the most populous cities in Southern Ontario. Despite its considerable population, Brampton has a low cost of living.
Living in Brampton will allow you to experience a wide variety of new and exciting things.
Food and Culture
The diverse population of Brampton is proud to showcase their distinctive global preferences in the food scene. Today, many young, bright chefs rely on their ethnic backgrounds to produce both traditional and cutting-edge recipes. Not only is the food delicious, but it showcases Brampton’s unique and varied culture. Because of its diversity, Brampton’s culture included a wide variety of transformative performances, art exhibits, and festivals that draw thousands of people to different parts of the city.
Education and Family Life
Brampton is a multiethnic metropolis with excellent educational opportunities and numerous high-quality public elementary and secondary schools. 220 active and cutting-edge schools run by the Peel District School Board serve over 140,000 children, providing them with the highest education. Brampton also has a wide range of enjoyable activities for you and your family to enjoy. The city is full of recreational opportunities, first-rate amenities, safe transit, and excellent medical facilities.
While the housing market in Canada can vary drastically, housing in Brampton is significantly less for comparable rentals and properties.
Innovation and International Connectivity
Brampton is the fastest-growing among Canada’s top 25 cities, which accounts for 90.2% of the net population growth in Peel, a region known for its innovation and growth. Brampton, which is ranked first among mid-sized North American Cities of the future for connectivity, is situated in the centre of the Toronto Waterloo Innovation Corridor and has easy access to all 400 series transcontinental routes, providing access to millions of people. Its access to international aviation also provides a competitive edge. It can strengthen a metro area’s reputation as a reachable business hub on a worldwide scale.
It also has a strong local workforce. Average commutes in Canada are 24 minutes, but near cities, it can increase to as long as an hour. Brampton’s local transit ridership is growing faster than the city population, as many people make their way to and from work each day inside the city.
Local post-secondary education options include; Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, formerly Ryerson), Algoma University, and Sheridan College. The final of which has approximately 10,800 full and part-time students, the Brampton campus offers 64 programs including four-year degrees in applied health, engineering, early childhood and community safety, along with dozens of advanced diplomas and certificates in technology, and nursing, community services and pharmacy technology.
There are also programs in the works to expand these offerings by bringing the University of Guelph and Humber College’s new campus to the Center for innovation in Brampton’s downtown core. The federal government has also announced funding to expand the seats in the TMU medical programs, and the municipal government voted in favour of a planning grant to help fund a future school of Medicine.
Business In the City of Brampton
Brampton’s business community is a large, active, and diverse mix. From major corporations to family-owned legacies to entrepreneurs, there are many great business resources in Brampton, and many business networks to check out!
Business in the city is not just limited to Brampton. As we said, it’s a well-connected city. Brampton is also just 60 minutes from Toronto by train, and 40 minutes by car (excluding traffic).
Major Businesses in Brampton
The main industries for this area include;
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Food & Beverage
- Health & Life Sciences
- Innovation & Technology
- Logistics
Not only are there long-established local businesses, but national & international players are also finding office space in the city to get in on the action. Rodgers recently announced it would be moving 5000 employees to the Brampton downtown core with a $100-million, minimum 200,000-square-foot office complex that would also include retail, residential and additional office spaces adjacent to the Brampton GO station on Church Street.
Brampton Business Resources
We are lucky to be located in such an amazing Innovation District, with numerous resources & ecosystem partners for start-ups and growing businesses to take advantage of. Brampton has a great Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) and a great Brampton Board of Trade.
Public libraries are a great space to research, get some focus work done and shake up your environment. Check out Brampton’s public libraries, which also offer useful business resources like programs, audio recording studios, newcomer services & bus tours, and maker spaces which feature digital tools, 3-D printers, Circuts, and more.
You can also check out Invest Brampton, which has location and demographics data and a site selection tool. They also compiled lists of incentives and investments for companies operating in their key economic sectors.
Grow your Start-Up Internationally
Ready to take your start-up to the next level? BHive is a partnership between the Toronto Business Development Centre and the City of Brampton. Our Start-Up Visa program was specifically designed to help global entrepreneurs with the potential to scale globally enter the North American market with the support they need to achieve their dreams.
Learn about business and Canadian business practices from top Canadian Ecosystem influencers and join a network of thousands of entrepreneurs who have made the same journey. Are you excited to expand your start-up to North America? Apply now!